Wednesday, December 8, 2010

It should be against the law for the temperature to have been 33 at 2 PM in Cullman, Alabama at any time of the year!! But, that is exactly what it was there today. So glad my car has a good heater and I have some good warm sweaters!! Regardless of the cold, I got all my errands taken care of. Yeah!!!!!

(Not an actual photo of Cullman, Alabama!!)

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I needed some time this evening to clear my head, so I did some blog hopping. That is such a great way to get a fresh mental perspective on things!! As I found goodies, I took notes so I could pass them on to you. It is always better when you share things with folks.

Saw the most beautiful creation tonight.Maya Road held a contest called Two Peas In A Bucket.The gal who won the contest made a “book” using two trinket boxes with mulberry paper as the book binding!!It is absolutely fabulous!!You need to go take a look.What a grand inspiration!! I have just GOT to make one of these--or more!!

And while looking at a blog with some of the most lovely Christmas trees and decorations I found information about a drawing going on with Whogga. They are the makers of those boots called Uggs. Anyway, if you just sign up for their newsletter you are entered into a drawing for a free pair of Uggs!!! How is that for cool??? Here is your link:

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

I need to find a class in proper time management. I am bad to start too many things at a time, bad to change from one project to another in the middle of everything!! You add to that the many tasks and errands and offers to do things for others and you are looking at the need for at least 48 hours in each day. Seems that any time I need to be in one place, I have somewhere else I need to be at the same time which is not in the same direction!! I have been so tensed up lately that the right side of my neck is staying in a rock hard knot!! I really need to get SOMETHING organized!!! Tomorrow I have 2 things to do in Cullman (26 miles from home toward the northwest) and also have to go to Ragland (62 miles from home toward the west if I could go the best route, but more like 99 miles tomorrow since I HAVE to go to Cullman first!!) Neither destination can be delayed to another day.
The next day I will be taking my step-mom to a doctor appointment in downtown Birmingham. When I get her back home I will help out around there awhile.
In the meantime, I have 3 regular assignments to get turned in for accounting and economics classes before Sunday as well as a group project for the economics class!! So far only one of the group members has given any signs of life!! I got all the research done on the first part of the project today, just waiting for the others to respond to that.
And we can't forget about CHRISTMAS!!! I am making cards and gifts---feeling as though I am the entire team of elves!!!
All right, ENOUGH of the belly aching!!! It is time to get off my pitty-pot!!!

This is my grandchild--she is 18 and does not have any idea how special she is. She is the reason I have to go to Ragland tomorrow. I am taking her a computer desk and money for a T-shirt she wants. When she graduates this year we plan to visit Michigan together. She wants to see where I grew up, the St. Joseph lighthouse which I have tons of pictures of all over my house, and my cousin Rosetta. This should be one fun road trip!! Growing up in Michigan, my family came to Alabama once or twice each year to visit my dad's family. The last time I went to Michigan was Christmas of 1995. It has been awhile!!

It is so abnormally cold for us right now--makes it hard to think--so perhaps I should go get under the extra covers and get warm as I drift into sweat dreams!!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Boy I just hate when this happens!!! I'm here in the south trying to stay warm!!! At least I do know how to keep from freezing to death--I really feel sorry for the poor folks down in Miami. They do not know how to do that so well and it is to be down around 40 tonight there. They are saying that Birmingham will get to 21 tonight, which means it will be about 15 here at my little place. We are in a flood plane hollow with a small creek. It is always several degrees colder here.
All the little dogs are huddled together on one chair here in the living room. A few years back, when we went from one dog to three, we stopped allowing any to sleep in the bed. Couldn't let one do it and not the others and couldn't fit more than one in there with both of us.
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Oh, another give-away showed up on Facebook tonight. I have already entered in hopes of winning one of the crafty great prizes. Here is the link for you to try:

I spent the better part of both yesterday and today upstairs going through boxes and boxes of STUFF--I have so many projects going on all at the same time!! There are several projects which are of the Christmas gift variety and several of the Swap-bot variety. Of course everything would be easier if I had any organization going on at all---but, that is not happening very well. I do have to say that MOST of my 12x12 paper is organized. The bulk is in a rolling cabinet downstairs and then there is most of the 8 1/2 x 11 in a tower cabinet upstairs. But, there are still some papers in boxes upstairs, others in a box downstairs and there is some in the car--always!! Digging through boxes upstairs is a true adventure! I always find things I forgot I even had!! Ran into some written items which were done by my youngest son when he was little. That stuff always cracks me up. One thing I found yesterday that made me ROLL was a letter he had written which had never gotten mailed. He had written to a minister on the radio to request a copy of the free book the man had been offering. It began "Dr. Mr. ? I'm sorry but I forgot your name..." I especially loved the line "...it's hard because I live on a farm and we are 50 miles from a church." I guess his young mind thought we had a farm. It was actually 3 1/2 acres. We did have a small garden that year. There were several churchs which were close enough to have walked to, but we went most often to one which was about 30 miles away. That letter needs to be put into a memory album!!! (Another project I need to work on!!) Well, I can feel a small draft across the floor by my feet. I think I will go crawl into the covers and stay warm. Wishing all warmth and toastiness!!!
Thanks for coming by---come back soon--

Friday, December 3, 2010

I will not make you search for the free stuff and the fun stuff--
Let's just go ahead and give this to you right now!!

First of all--
Here is where you can get a free download of images for crafting each day. Lisa has Tentwostudios and GoMakeSomething. She does this free daily download countdown every year--great images from a great person!! This began on December 1st. You can obtain all the pages which are already given out.

Next is another daily gift from the Creating Keepsakes Blog. They began on December 1st. You can go back to the start and get in on things, although the give-away which was drawn from comments needed to have been gotten in on the day of the contest.

The third is the crown jewel of all the Cristmas countdowns and give-aways. It is the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas. Each day he shows step-by-step instructions for some of the most incredible tags you can imagine. Then 12 people are selected from the comments for each day to receive some wonderful goodies to play with!!!! The response this year is over the top!!!!! Around 3,000 comments each day!!!!! Don't miss out on this one--

Now, on to other things. My youngest son and his sweet girl friend came to visit today. They brought their two 4-legged children. Hunter is a huskie mix and Boog is a teacup yorkie. We had a nice visit and I got to show them how well the pictures from their vacation printed out. Now I can get the pictures all into a great little scrapbook for them.

Brandon and Josie

They had a great Florida vacation!!

We have always been Gulf Shores/Perdido Key/Orange Beach folks--but, the oil spill really messed with things this year. The kids tried going there and ended up unable to even get near the water. The smell of the oil was bad. That was a little weekend thing, but it was a ruined trip because of the oil. So the big vacation was taken on the Atlantic side of Florida. They got to enjoy themselves much more there. There is a difference with the color and texture of the sand and the temperature and nature of the water. But, they were able to walk freely on the beaches and get into the water and enjoy themselves completely. We are all hopeful that the Gulf will be back in shape next year. We really missed it this year.

Hubby and all of our puppies are sleeping already. I need to head that way myself. I've got to go to Cullman tomorrow to see Kathy at Scrapin Kats. Everything there is 50% off now. I hate that she is closing the store. But, I do understand completely. The good part is that she will be able to go to crops and yard sales and all kinds of things with the rest of us now!!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Thank you to those who have offered some helpful hints as to how to get through the process to get pictures added to my blog!!! This is definitely a "live and learn" process. One thing at a time and all will come together.

This was taked in early September on the side of my driveway. There were several large areas of these "butterfly weeds" growing between the drive and the creek bed. The yellow swallowtails seemed to claim them as their own. I never saw any other butterflies on them this year.

Let's all get excited----I finally got a photo to get in place here!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our community center is pretty small---about 12 foot square----but, this is a small and close-knit community. This was one of the pictures I took for that photo journal. There isn't a whole lot to our town, in fact this is the only "official" building there is. The Bremen post office is miles down the road, off on a side road across the street from the Cold Spring schools!! I never even noticed this building for the first 6 or 7 years we lived out here.

This beautiful antique wagon was placed by the gazebo which is in the yard of the historic reproduction house in Cullman. I found this to be one of the most special things this fall. Just HAD to get this picture for the photo journal swap at Swap-Bot.

And this is my friend Kathy's scrapbook supply store -Scrapin Kats- which is closing December 13th. I am not happy about that--but, I do understand. I've already been scooping up some bargins while the closing sale is going on--and will get more before it is over. (As if I don't have any supplies!!!!) (SHHHHHH---don't let the hubby know.)
I am really excited about this picture thing!!!!! I will try to be good and not over-use it---but, love that I will be able to illustrate what I am talking about.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Alabama is NOT supposed to be this cold!!! I do not like this, no I do not!! It is below freezing outside--and it only got up to around 50 today -- with the sun out and all --
I have become a WHIMP!! I lived in Michigan from the time I was 9 months old until 1972. Michigan winters can last from Halloween until Easter. My brother and I built a snow fort in the back yard every year with a tunnel which snaked from the back porch all over the back yard until it finally reached the fort. I've dealt with temps of 30 below! But, that was then and this is now and I am a full fledged cold weather WHIMP!!

I got hubby to go into the woody area and locate some sturdy branches for me today. Everything is still wet from the rains, so they will need to dry a day or two. Then I will paint them white. Once painted, they will be put into a sturdy container and decorated. That is what I want for this year's Christmas tree. I have seen this done in a few different ways and like it every which way it is done. As soon as it is all together I will get a picture and post it.

Mailed off 3 swaps from Swap-bot Tuesday. Nothing earth-moving, just simple handmade notecards and post cards. Worked this afternoon on a photo journal for another swap. It called for 10 photos from where we live. I had fun with the gathering of the pictures. Living in a community known as BugTussle opens the way for many out-of -the-ordinary photos!
For pretty pictures, I took my camera to Cullman and enjoyed some of the really nice places there. The picture taking was fun, the journal decorating and contructing was fun; the captioning was the most difficult part of the whole thing. I used to have good penmanship--but, that was way back when. Now my handwriting looks about as bad as a doctor's prescription pad!!

I've been working on several small cookbooks for Christmas gifts. It had begun with the idea of making one cookbook as a gift for one person, then I got to thinking that I should also do one for someone else, then someone else...now it is several of these cookbooks being worked on as if one large project. Then, while my youngest son and his girlfriend were visiting the other day, she mentioned how their vacation pictures were still unprinted. The pictures are on their Facebook page, so I offered to retrieve them and print them out. My new printer does such a great job. Of course, I offered to put them all together as a scrapbook for them. Somehow, I always seem to be working on more than one thing at a time. Makes my life much more interesting anyway.

I really wanted to add pictures today, but the system seemed to think that the pictures I was trying to add might not belong to me. They couldn't be more mine--they were all taken by me with my camera and put into my photo program on my computer. Hopefully we can get this worked out very soon!!